Birthday Wishes
by Welcome To Story Time
Summary: What would he wish for as he blows out those sixteen candles?


**An  
>As some of you may know<strong>**; the 13****th**** of February is a much loved teen spy's birthday.  
>So we have decided to make this known.<br>Technically Alex was born in 87, but we've decided not to go by this timeline because even Horowitz doesn't go by this timeline.  
>Post Scorpia Rising, Pre Jam Transit Hyens<strong>

**Disclaimer: Alex Rider does not belong to us.**

Birthday Wishes

It was raining in New York City. A cold, drizzly rain that was so fine you wouldn't bother with an umbrella, but it would have you soaked in seconds.  
>Helen Rider stared out of the apartment window, her breath causing condensation.<br>In her hand lay a carefully wrapped present complete with blue ribbon and a card declaring _'Happy Sixteenth Birthday". _**  
><strong>She took a shaky breath. Helen didn't understand why she did this to herself every year.  
>She got up, walked to her closet and grabbed a large box from the top shelf. She opened it.<br>Inside were fifteen other presents, ranging in colours and sizes; Helen rested the sixteenth among them. It was just another gift he will never get to open.  
>Helen closed her eyes and imagined just how her son would be celebrating this day.<br>She could hear the laughter and music, friends gathering round the birthday boy as he prepared to blow out the candles on his cake. There would probably be a girlfriend. The moment she first saw him she knew he would be a looker.  
>She could see Ian giving him a crooked smile; the same one he would give John before he did something he shouldn't, maybe let him have his first beer even though he was still under aged. Slowly as the night progressed the number of people would dwindle until it was just the two boys. A shared smirk, a little bit of banter before the now sixteen year old was sent to bed. After all it was a school night. Alex would go to sleep with a smile on his face.<p>

What would he wish for as he blew out those sixteen candles?  
>A car, maybe? A new video game?<p>

Helen opened her eyes, inside the box among the presents lay a candle.  
>It was a thick, red candle with dried wax down the sides. She got up from her spot on the carpet and placed it on the window pane, adjusting it position so it wasn't a safety hazard.<br>She grabbed a lighter and ignited the wick, watching the flame dance.  
>This is how she dealt with this every year, and every year her other two children would ask what was the significance of the candle, and every year all they got was a teary, eyed smile and the shake of the head.<p>

John had his own way of dealing with this particular date. He would keep his head down in his work, he was currently in the middle of a very important case, keeping his mind busy.  
>But every now and then his colleagues, his boss, his friends and his wife would catch him with his eyes glazed over, a sombre, brooding look across his face making him look older than he really was.<p>

But whether it was watching a candle flicker or lost in memories; the two parents were wishing the exactly same thing.

That one day they would see their son again.

...Line Break...

Alex was hiding under his covers; the only part of him that was visible if you were to walk into his room would be a tuft of blonde hair.  
>Alex hated Mondays; he hated cold weather, and most of all he hated birthdays.<br>Past years the highlights of his birthdays would be if Ian could make it home, he would always try his best too. And if he could make it, the day he did get back he would call Alex in sick at school and take him on a daytrip to wherever (within reason of course).  
>Jack would be at home baking a huge cake and cook a full English roast. It was the only day she would break her ten minute cooking rule.<br>Tom and a few other of his friends would embarrass him by singing happy birthday to him at the top of their lungs, horribly out of tune, in every class.

Last year, it was just him and Jack. Alex had just come out of hospital, bandages over his shoulders and neck covering burns. A few friends came round, ate takeaways, joked around and played Playstation. It wasn't a great birthday, but Alex wouldn't dare ask for anything different.

This year he just wanted to hideaway in his bed, wake up tomorrow like nothing had happened. Alex just felt hollow.  
>He was in a foreign country, he didn't really know that many people. He never advertised the date, he had probably told his friends his birth date once, whether or not they remembered was a completely different story.<br>On top of that, his family was gone. Jack and Ian were dead. Never coming back.  
>Alex had been living with the Pleasures for just over six months now, but it was going to be a long time before he considered them family.<p>

Sabina came to get him out of bed, after that the day seemed to be never ending, the hours blending in together. He is opening presents. He is at school, his friends angry at him for not telling them about his birthday. He is back at home, opening more presents. The highlight of his evening, a phone call from Tom, they talk for a few hours. Eventually Alex finds himself standing in front of a cake, beautifully decorated, complete with sixteen lit candles.  
>It's time for him to make a wish.<br>He thinks carefully, mulling over the day's events.  
>Finally he decides, and blows out all the candles with one breath.<p>

That night Alex lay in bed thinking about his parents. Unbeknownst to him, at the exact moment he blew out his sixteen candles; in New York city his mother had done the same thing to a thick red one. That night he had wished for family.

The two wishes seemed impossible to be fulfilled to the ones who had thought them, but that night, hope had not been extinguished with the flames.

In just a little less than a year, the trio would believe in the absurdity of a birthday wish, because finally one would come true.

**Aww, somewhat fluffy, a little angst.  
>Just to confirm, this is based before Jam Transit Hyens.<br>Happy birthday Alex! Even though technically his birthday was yesterday in New Zealand time, but we were distracted and didn't write it.  
>Please review; probably make this a two shot after the completion of Jam Transit Hyens (got to think of a shorter name for that story)<strong>

**-Jean & Diana **

**  
><strong>


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